Not much knee-high corn this 4th of July

Grattan Twp., Mich. (WZZM) -- Jordan Heffron's family farm in Belding not only has fewer fields of green than normal, the corn is nowhere near where it's supposed to be for this time of year.

"If you want good corn, you want it taller than knee high," he said.

Then there's the areas where there's supposed to be corn.

"These low areas are usually where the corn grows the best, and as you can see there's nothing there," he said. "Really hurts your yield across the field."

Unlike the record drought of last year, this spring's heavy rainfall drowned out the lower-lying areas of his fields, and many others across the Grand Rapids area. The result? Much of his corn is just ankle high by the 4th of July. In other areas, corn came up to his shins. Farmers measure corn height by the main stock.

"Last year was an extreme one way, and this year is turning out to be an extreme the other way," he said.

Why so much damage?

This spring brought 16.63 inches of rain in two months. That's almost 6 inches above the normal rainfall of 9.7 inches.

The soaked soil delayed their ability to plant by a month. Usually it's May; this year many farmers planted in June.

"You're basically trying to play catch up, and it's really hard when you're this far behind to get back to normal," he said.

Heffron says what local corn growers need now is consistent 88 degree days, no cold days and definitely not frost.

But come fall, Heffron still isn't overly optimistic for the Grand Rapids area fields.

"I would expect wetter corn come fall and poorer quality," he said.

He says most people won't notice the difference in taste because most corn here goes to feed. But the farmer will feel the loss in his wallet. Heffron doesn't get paid as much if the test weight of the corn is lower, and the weight comes with heat.

Jim Zook with the Michigan Michigan Corn Growers Association says the state as a whole is on target for an average corn crop, and parts of West Michigan could still turn out a normal crop. He says Southern Michigan fields look phenomenal.